Burning the bridges of past
by taiyoukai-kai
Summary: Life is not always what we want, and when Kagome reveals to Inuyasha the one thing he didn't want, things might not end in the happily ever after everyone expected. [SessKag] [one-shot]


**^_^ My third one-shot ever. Whee…what fun. Well, anyhoo, enjoy.**

**Burning…**

**By taiyoukai kai**

He couldn't stand the lies. The deceit. The thinly veiled contempt. Ever since she came, he had sensed she would be nothing but trouble, but she had brought such joy and life back into his existence…

Only to take it away again.

"You really are Kikyo's reincarnation, aren't you. In every respect." He looked down at the bleeding girl. "God, but you're a bitch. Just looking at you makes me sick." He kicked her when she didn't respond. "Come now, you aren't dead…yet." He smiled with a sick glee when she jerked back.

He knelt down to her level, on the floor. "Just tell me one thing. Were you _ever_ in love with me?"

He wasn't ready for the lightning fast attack. She managed to claw at his face and neck before he threw her off, and kicked her again.

"Jesus, woman." He panted and absently wiped at the bleeding scratches. "You always were a feisty thing."

"You never answered my question."

Kagome slowly lifted herself off the ground. And stared directly into his demonic red eyes. "You're crazy and incapable of reason in your present state. I forgive and will forget this unfortunate­­­― !" She cried out as Inuyasha slapped her, his claws ripping at her face.

"Bitch." He panted, adrenaline pumping through his system. He could only imagine the joy it would bring him when he broke her spirit. She wouldn't be so uptight, then now would she. He chuckled as she coughed, blood dribbling from her mouth.

No, by then she would be as stiff as a day old corpse.

The image was so amusing to him that he couldn't stop laughing. It would have to be soon. Soon.

As he wiped tears from his eyes, he caught her open look of contempt. She wasn't supposed to look like that. She was supposed to be crying, begging him to spare her life.

"Tell me, wench, since you aren't answering my other question, are you pregnant with that bastard's bastard?" He smiled and congratulated himself for his wit.

Kagome glared at him. "You know, you're technically the bastard. You do know that don't you?"

Inuyasha's vision turned red. It was as if there was a red film dying everything that blood red color. How dare she insult his mother. "Bitch," he hissed. "You'll pay for that."

She didn't utter a sound as he attacked her, his mind a complete stranger's.

"Scream!" he commanded her as her blood splattered across his face. "Scream, damnit!"

She huddled protectively into a ball. Her blood ran down her bare legs in streams, her garments almost completely dyed a deep red, a dark red.

"Che." He looked down at her in disgust. "At least Kikyo had the decency to die."

He looked down at her huddled body and had to force all the memories of good times away. It made him angrier knowing that he would never forget her. Even for all the lies she fed him. 

And it made him furious when he realized that beating her hurt him more than it probably hurt her. Because he was afraid his heart would never heal.

"Life is often unfair, Inuyasha." Startled out of his brief reverie, he noticed her hoarse voice.

"All that I ask," Kagome pushed herself off the floor with trembling arms and raised her head to look at him. "All that I ask is that you never forget you'll always be my friend."

He looked down at her face for what he hoped would be the last time. "Sometimes, being friends isn't enough."

She didn't stop him when he walked away, not once looking back.

As soon as he was out of hearing range, she whispered, "I wish I didn't have to do that…" Her voice had miraculously recovered, but it still held the sorrow one felt for the loss of a good friend and companion.

"You owed him the truth." Sesshoumaru materialized out of the darkness.

She heaved her self to her knees and gave a shaky laugh. "I know." She looked at the tall youkai who held her hear within his hands. [A/N: figuratively of course…he's not Naraku…] "I just think I could have done it differently. Maybe not so harsh."

Sesshoumaru picked Kagome up, set her on her feet, and gently brushed her hair away from her face. "You fulfilled his lifelong dream and allowed him to physically assault you to satisfy his own sense of ego." He stepped away and looked off into the direction Inuyasha had gone. "I think that was quite adequate."

She softly dabbed at the cuts on her legs. "I wonder why he hated you so much?"

Sesshoumaru glanced at her. "Hate? I do not think he hated me per se. Envied, perhaps. Hate, no. But now that he has the Shikon no Tama in its entirety, he need not be envious anymore."

"You know, I wonder whether he realized that I wouldn't have stayed with him anyways if he decided to become full demon." She looked at him and smiled, her eyes filling up. "Its kind of sad. I really did love him. Just not the way he wanted."

Sesshoumaru raised an elegant hand to softly wipe away her tears. "As much as I hate to admit it, he is smart. He knew."

She brought her hand up to cradle his against her cheek. "Stay with me," she pleaded, her eyes closing. Her tears poured down her pale cheeks like liquid silver. "Forever."

He smiled, a gesture so rare, it was priceless. "I will…" he said softly, as he felt her body go limp from lack of blood. "Forever."

And he picked her up, his arms curled protectively around her body and carried her home.

**Ha…It wasn't so sad this time. In fact…it was downright sappy…Oh, well, I guess people like that…If the story was confusing, email me and I will clarify. And I'm sorry if Kagome comes across a little bitchy…it was not my intention, she just turned out that way.**

**Kai**


End file.
